February 8, 2011
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Oh, Abe.
"'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."
- Abe Lincoln.I find it interesting when students purposely spell my name incorrectly on their papers or write about me in a discussion board (thinking I don't or won't read it/see it). Sometimes I want to respond to that foolishness, but then I figure, EH, I'll just ignore it. Typically, they just want attention, and I've got other things to give attention to. In fact, you'd think that my attention would've been more valuable when I was younger - "Hey, she's a young, dumb teacher; let's really get at her!" - but I think I come across it more now, in reflecting, and maybe it's because they are a different breed of generation. Are they spoon-fed? Were they allowed to give more crap to their aging high school teachers? I don't know. It's a question to ponder; it's something no one can nail down perfectly without hurting their own thumbs in the process.
Comments (2)
Ha. Yeah, I usually don't pay much attention to the back-seat grumblers. If I don't seem to care, they usually quiet down. But once in a while, it matters. I agree...it's hard to tell, right?
@GreekPhysique - Precisely. People easily say not to "take it personally," but when they are attacking my teaching stuff, I think that's personal. And, yeah, it's tough to know what's REALLY "WRONG." I mean, are they just being jerks? Do they have something constructive to say but show it in a different form? Are they just searching for attention?
Practically everything everyday can be a "teachable moment" but that's exhausting to consider. If I were to look at every eye-roll as a missed opportunity to show a student that English can be X for them, I'd fail everyday every time.
I want to focus on the ones who are making eye-contact with me, nodding, wanting to be challenged, ... but I constantly find myself trying to ADVERTISE the coolness of writing.
Life, in general, is frustrating; however, if this is the type of frustration I have to have daily, I guess I'll take it and give it a whirl each and every day. At least, I'm enjoying myself in the classroom.
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